Frog Named After Charles Prince of Wales

In fairytales when a frog is kissed it usually turns into a prince, but the reality for a new species of amphibian is being named after one - the Prince of Wales.

The unusual honour has been bestowed on the heir to the throne by a conservation organisation in recognition of his efforts to help safeguard the world's rainforests.

The rare species of Ecuadorian stream frog has been named Hyloscirtus princecharlesi in honour of the royal's environmental campaigning over the years.

The Ecuadorian stream frog has been named Hyloscirtus princecharlesi in honour of the the PRince of Wales' environmental campaigning over the years

The brown-coloured amphibian with large orange blotches was discovered by Ecuadorian scientist Dr Luis A Coloma four years ago among preserved museum specimens.

The academic later took part in an expedition to a national park in his homeland and found three live adults and some tadpoles.

Charles will meet Dr Coloma later today at a environmental themed workshop the Prince is hosting for young school children from across the country at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire home.

Amphibian Ark, which works to ensure the survival of endangered frogs, newts and salamanders, decided to name the new species after Charles.

A spokesman said: "It is endangered and needs to be protected in the wild, its rainforest habitat is under threat due to the impact of farming."

He added: "It's fairly unusual to name a new species after someone but this is seen as something special in honour of the Prince."

Charles has been campaigning for decades to help save the world's remaining rainforests, giving major speeches in the rainforest nations of Brazil and Indonesia on the subject.

He also established his Prince's Rainforest Project to help find a viable financial solution to the problem of deforestation and starred with an animated frog in a video to highlight the issue.

The Prince is president of the wildlife conservation organisation WWF-UK which runs a Green Ambassador scheme for youngsters, encouraging them to act as sustainability leaders in their schools.

The series of workshops at Highgrove will see the schoolchildren decorate giant panda sculptures, write letters about their hopes for the future to Charles and learn about growing their own flowers and vegetables.

The heir to the throne will meet the children taking part in the activities which have been organised as part of the WWF-UK Green Ambassador summit.